Excerpt from Live Now, Age Later by Isadore Rosenfeld M.D., plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Many retired seniors sign up for classes in accounting, law, art, music, economics, or whatever else interests them to stay mentally active, and not necessarily to start a second career. The longer you continue your education at any age, or keep your mind busy in some other way, the more likely your neurons are to connect with each other later on.

• Reaction to stress: Stress is blamed for almost everything that goes wrong in life: "I can't sleep, I'm under too much stress." "My job is too stressful for me to do it right." "My bowels aren't moving right. You know how much stress I'm under." "My marriage is on the rocks. It's the stress, you know." Although stress is a convenient scapegoat, it probably does play a role in the development of Alzheimer's. The body reacts to stress by producing extra amounts of cortisol, a hormone that shrinks the hippocampus, the area in the brain that controls memory and interferes with its normal function. The calmer and more self-confident you are in a crisis, whether it is short-lived or prolonged, the less cortisol is produced.

• Diet: Eat as little animal fat as possible to reduce your vulnerability to Alzheimer's. The incidence of Alzheimer's in different countries correlates with the consumption of total fat. For example, in the United States, 5 percent of all persons over the age of sixty-five have the disease, while in China and Nigeria, where the fat intake is much lower, the incidence is only 1 percent. Japanese who move to America and double the amount of fat in their diet have twice the incidence of Alzheimer's than do those who do not emigrate and presumably maintain their old eating habits.

Here is another dietary tip: The more fish you eat, the less likely you are to get Alzheimer's. That's because the neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques may, at least in part, be due to inflammation within the brain. The protective effect of fish is probably due to the anti-inflammatory properties of Omega-3 fatty acids, present in highest concentrations in deep-sea, cold-water fish such as mackerel, tuna, halibut, and sardines. Eat at least three to six ounces of these fish every week. If you don't like seafood, or can't afford it, you can obtain Omega-3 fatty acids in capsule form. Make sure to get a "reputable" brand, since some of the commercial preparations can turn rancid. I prefer the fish.

Holistic practitioners believe that several foods are "brain builders." For example, they claim that artichokes increase mental acuity; brewers' yeast makes for better brain function; sardines, rich in coenzyme Q10, raise the concentration of cerebral oxygen; lettuce, raw or juiced, which is rich in iron and magnesium, builds brain cells; and parsnip---raw, juiced, or in salad---improves cognition. I know of no scientific documentation for any of these assertions, but why not try them? My mother, who was not a holistic practitioner, always recommended them, as I'm sure yours did too.

• If you're menopausal, ask your doctor about estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). It's safe for most women, except for those with a blood-clotting problem or a history of a hormone-related cancer (breast, uterus, or ovaries). Recent studies of thousands of women seventy years of age and older have shown that estrogen replacement therapy improves short-term memory and increases the capacity to learn and retain new facts. Fewer women who have taken this hormone for at least one year end up with Alzheimer's, and those who have been on it for ten or more years have a 40 to 54 percent lower incidence of developing the disease than those who haven't. These are impressive figures, and they make a strong case for such replacement therapy. How estrogen protects against Alzheimer's is not clear, but it probably stimulates the neurons to form new connections. The National Institutes of Health is currently conducting a study of 8,000 healthy women sixty-five years of age or older who are on estrogen to further document this hormone's effect on the development of Alzheimer's. Don't wait for the results. Take estrogen now, especially if you are worried about Alzheimer's.

From Live Now Age Later: Proven Ways to Slow Down the Clock,by Isadore Rosenfeld. © June 1999, Isadore Rosenfeld. Used with permission.